ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) Price Target Raised to $187.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised ExxonMobil’s price target from $185 to $187 while maintaining an “overweight” rating, implying 2.78% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive but mixed: ExxonMobil carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $168.09, with one Strong Buy, eleven Buys, and fourteen Holds.
• ExxonMobil recently exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $4.23 in EPS and $110.5 billion in revenue, driven largely by stronger refining margins; however, upstream earnings declined sequentially and the stock fell 2.8% in Monday trading.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $187.00 in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the oil and gas company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective points to a potential upside of 2.78% from the company's previous close.

XOM has been the subject of a number of other reports. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $168.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on ExxonMobil from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Freedom Capital raised ExxonMobil from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of ExxonMobil from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ExxonMobil has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $168.09.

ExxonMobil Stock Down 2.8%

NYSE:XOM traded down $5.31 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $181.94. 5,648,833 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,661,568. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $167.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $154.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. ExxonMobil has a fifty-two week low of $112.51 and a fifty-two week high of $188.50. The firm has a market cap of $754.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.21.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.12 by $0.11. ExxonMobil had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 10.24%. The business had revenue of $110.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $104.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that ExxonMobil will post 13.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of ExxonMobil

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GQG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in ExxonMobil by 153.3% in the second quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 16,877,523 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,307,497,000 after buying an additional 10,214,420 shares during the period. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC acquired a new stake in ExxonMobil during the 1st quarter worth approximately $965,932,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of ExxonMobil during the first quarter worth $766,345,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in ExxonMobil by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 28,364,314 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,812,790,000 after purchasing an additional 1,540,902 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in ExxonMobil by 63.3% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,371,424 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $571,996,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307,465 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ExxonMobil’s third-quarter performance exceeded expectations, with $15.4 billion in GAAP earnings, $110.5 billion in revenue, and earnings per share above consensus. Earnings more than doubled from the prior-year quarter. ExxonMobil Q3 earnings article
• Positive Sentiment: Refining margin gains were the primary earnings catalyst, while management highlighted LNG expansion and additional growth opportunities amid energy-market disruptions. XOM Q3 earnings call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: The board raised the quarterly dividend from $1.03 to $1.07 per share, a 3.9% increase and ExxonMobil’s 44th consecutive annual increase. The company also generated significantly higher free cash flow, repurchased $5.1 billion of stock last quarter, and reduced net debt by nearly $11 billion during the first nine months. Exxon dividend and free cash flow article
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $189 while maintaining an Equal Weight rating, indicating limited but continued potential upside from recent levels. Wells Fargo XOM rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain divided after XOM’s substantial year-to-date rally and record high. Momentum screens continue to favor the stock, but investors are questioning how much good news is already reflected in the valuation. Exxon valuation and rally article
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted upstream earnings fell approximately 20% sequentially, making the latest beat more dependent on refining rather than production growth. A dip in crude prices is adding to the near-term selling pressure. ExxonMobil upstream earnings article

About ExxonMobil

Exxon Mobil Corporation, doing business as ExxonMobil NYSE: XOM, is an integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas. Its operations span the energy value chain, from resource development and refining to the marketing and distribution of fuels and other energy products.

Through its Energy Products segment, ExxonMobil manufactures and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, and other petroleum-based products. Its Chemical Products business produces petrochemicals, including commodity and performance products used in packaging, automotive components, construction materials, and consumer goods.

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